Bristol Rovers' Emirates FA Cup Second Round match against Port Vale at Vale Park will be refereed by Ross Joyce.
Joyce has officiated in an impressive 16 matches, including the Gas, with the biggest coming over ten years ago in the National League play-off final against Grimsby Town, where Rovers won on penalties thanks to Lee Mansell's emphatic spot kick.
Since the 2024/15 campaign, when Joyce refereed three Rovers fixtures, including the final, he had overseen a Pirates match in every season since, but then the run ended last campaign. His last Rovers fixture was in the 2024/25 season, ending in a 0-0 draw against Fleetwood Town at Highbury Stadium.
An experienced and trusted official in the EFL, Joyce will take charge of his 500th competitive fixture at Vale Park. He has refereed 19 matches, including Port Vale, and has already officiated one of their games this term, a 3-2 home loss to Leyton Orient.
Joyce has refereed 155 games in Sky Bet League One in his career, more than any other competition, with 23 coming in the Emirates FA Cup. He oversaw Bolton Wanderers' 2-1 win over Huddersfield Town in the First Round earlier this campaign.
Interestingly, Joyce has also refereed one fixture in Iceland, overseeing a 2-2 draw between Grindavík and Haukar back in 2015.
Alongside him will be assistant referees William Cavanagh and Drew Dutton. Oliver Noonan has been appointed as the fourth official.
